GRAHAM STAFFORD 1943-1981

SAMUEL LANG 1939-1981

COLVIN G NORWOOD, JR (1)

DAVID S WILLENZIK (1)

FRANK VOELKER, JR. (1)

B FRANKLIN MARTIN, III (1)

E FREDRICK PREIS, JR.

MICHAEL H RUBIN

HENRI WOLBRETTE, III (1)

LEOPOLD Z. SHER (1)

SAMUEL E. SCOTT (1)

WILLIAM V. DALFERES, JR. (1)

PETER L. HILBERT, JR. (1)

CONSTANCE CHARLES WILLEHS (4)

STEVEN I. KLEIN (1)

STEVEN I. KLEIN (1)

BENNET S KOREN

JAMES M. FANTACI

MAUREEN O'CONNOR SULLIVAN

KATHLEEN A. MANNING

KENNETH A. WEISS (1)

ELWOOD F. CAHILL, JR.

DONNA GUINN KLEIN (1)

JAMES C. GRIDLER, JR.

MICHAEL M. NOONAN

RICHARD P. RICHTER

DAVID ISRAEL

DAVID ISRAEL

ELLIS L. TUDZIN (2)

ELLIS L. TUDZIN (2)

RICHARD A. CURRY

R. KEITH COLVIN

MARY TERRELL JOSEPH

RICHARD A. FOGEL (2)

MARIE A. MOORE

PUDY J. CERONE

JOEL M. MOHRMAN (2)

DAN E. WEST

ANTHONY ROLLO

CRAIG L. CAESAR

BERNARD J. SHARKEY, JR.

BERNARD J. SHARKEY, JR.

RODOLFO J. AGUILAR, JR.

RODOLFO J. AGUILAR, JR.

STEPHEN P. STROHSCHEIN

PAUL SLOCOMB WEST

EVE B. MASINTER

STEPHEN W. RIDER

ERIC SHUMAN

KATHLEEN K. CHARVEY

THOMAS P. McALISTER (3)

LAURA HOBSON BROWN

DOROTHEA L. VIDAL (2)

RUSSELL A. GUNTER (3)

CAROLYN B. WITHERSPOON (3)

DONNA SMITH GALCHUS (3)

ALAN JACOBS (3)

ROBIN SPENCER PALMISANO

JAMES M. GARNER (3)

JAMES M. GARNER (3)

STEPHEN C. EDDS (10)

WILTON J. JOHNSON, III (10)

MARK D. HERBERT (10)

J. BRUCE CROSS (3)

CHARLES R. PENOT, JR.

ERROL J. KING

C. STORES McCONNELL, JR. (4)

ALAN L. MOORE (10)

HUGO SWAN, JR. (3)

MARC A. SANDERS (1)

DEBRA FISCHMAN COTTRELL

ARTHUR H. LEITH

STEPHEN P. BEISER

JOSEPH F. CLARK, JR.

MARY LYNNE FRIEDMAN

CHRISTINA B. PECK

SHANNAN SWEENEY RIEGER

SHANNAN SWEENEY RIEGER

LAUREN A. WELCH

MICHAEL J. DEBLANC, JR.

MICHAEL J. DEBLANC, JR.

KATHERINE CONKLIN (7)

KEVIN L. O'DEA (3)

ROBERT P. THIBEAUX

DARNELL BLUDWORTH (7)

MARK N. BODIN

S. JESS SPERRY

CHARLES L. EVANS (3)

RICHARD A. AGUILAR

SUE HICKS FAIRBANK (7)

M. STEPHEN BINGHAM (3)

LISA E. MAURER

LAWRENCE B. MANDALA (3)

JENNIFER L. DAVIS (3)

THOMAS A. ROBERTS

THOMAS A. ROBERTS

ROGER C. LINDE

ADAM SILVERMAN (3)

PEGGY J. FELDER (2)

LARRY A. MAXWELL (3)

ANITA T. LECHNER

MARGARET G. DIAMOND

SUSAN S. HARPER

KIRK A. PATRICK, III

MARC A. SANDERS (1)

MARC A. SANDERS (1)

MARGARET WOOLVERTON TRIEBES

R. MARSHALL GRODNER

LOUIS J. LUPIN

MARTHA M. YOUNG

ELIZABETH PALERMO BLITCH

PATRICK J. O'CAIN

PATRICK J. O'CAIN

STEPHANIE KAREN PAYNE

STEPHANIE KAREN PAYNE

ROBIN L. SHIVELY (3)

DOROTHY SHERIDAN WATKINS (3)

JULIE A. UNANGST

DANIEL T. PLUNKETT

NEAL J. KLING

ERIN FURY PARKINSON

ABRAHAM W. BOGOSLAVSKY (3)

JOSEPH C. MANDARINO (4)

ELENA A. LOVOY

KENT TRULSSON (3)

JENNIFER L. DODGE

KEITH A. KORNMAN

LAUREN L. ZIMMERMANN

TRACY A. MORGANTI

DEBORAH A. VAN HETER

DEBORAH A. VAN HETER

D. JEFFREY WAGNER (10)

BRIAN A. COWAN (10)

HARVEY L. FISER (10)

ELIZABETH A. MOTT (10)

MELANIE B. DEVLIN (10)

JON ANN M. GIBLIN

SUSAN W. SILEO

MONICA L. LACKS

LUANNE M. BONNIE

M. CHARLES A. FOGEL (1)

WALTER A. WHITE (1)

DARREL J. PAPILLION

DAVID BALL

ELISKA M. KOPFLER

ELISKA M. KOPFLER

LEZLEY ANN KUNTZ

ROGER F. SAGAL

AARON I. KATZ (2)

AARON I. KATZ (2)

DAVID E. HARRELL, JR. (2)

DAVID R. CLOUSTON (2)

OF COUNSEL

THOMAS M. HUDSON (4)

JOE GIARRUSSO, JR.

BENJAMIN H. SHIPLEY, III (3)

TIMOTHY B. FRANCIS

RODNEY G. ELLIS (3)

(1) LAW CORPORATION

(2) MEMBER OF TEXAS BAR

(3) MEMBER OF ARKANSAS BAR

(4) MEMBER OF LOUISIANA AND

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA BARS

(5) MEMBER OF LOUISIANA AND TEXAS BARS

(6) MEMBER OF ARKANSAS AND TEXAS BARS

(7) BOARD CERTIFIED TAX ATTORNEY

LOUISIANA BOARD OF LEGAL SPECIALIZATION

(8) BOARD CERTIFIED

COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE LAW

TEXAS BOARD OF LEGAL SPECIALIZATION

(9) BOARD CERTIFIED CIVIL TRIAL LAW

TEXAS BOARD OF LEGAL SPECIALIZATION

(10) MEMBER OF MISSISSIPPI BAR

ALL OTHERS LOUISIANA BAR

DALLAS

HOUSTON

BATON ROUGE

LITTLE ROCK

JACKSON

FORT SMITH

LAKE PROVIDENCE

643 MAGAZINE STREET NEW ORLEANS, LA 70130-3477

MAILING ADDRESS: P. O. BOX 60643 NEW ORLEANS, LA 70160-0643

April 24, 1996

(504) 586-1200

FAX (504) 596-2800

TDD (504) 596-2728

TELEX 584327

CABLE MACSTAC

DIRECT DIAL:

Hon. Anne K. Bingaman

Assistant Attorney General

Antitrust Division

United States Department of

Justice

Washington, D.C. 20530

Re: Request for Business Review Letter

Filed on Behalf of Orthopaedic

Associates of Mobile, P.A.

Re: Request for Business Review Letter

Filed on Behalf of Orthopaedic

Associates of Mobile, P.A.

Dear Ms. Bingaman:

We represent the interests of Orthopaedic Associates of Mobile, P.A. ("Requestors"), a group of eight orthopedic specialists. Pursuant to the procedure outlined in 28 C.F.R. § 50.6, we are asking for issuance of a Business Review Letter with respect to a proposed merger of Requestors with the Bone & Joint Center of Mobile, another eight-member orthopedic practice group in the greater Mobile, Alabama metropolitan area. The proposed merger will lead to the creation of a distinct entity in which all of the owners/members will share economic risk.

According to the 1994 County & City Data Book issued by the Bureau of the Census of the United States Department of

Hon. Anne K. Bingaman

April 24, 1996

Page - 2 -

Commerce, Mobile, Alabama is the principal city in the Metropolitan Statistical Area ("MSA") comprised of Mobile and Baldwin Counties. The population of that MSA is 476,923. 956 physicians are located in that MSA; 50 provide orthopedic care.

Immediately adjacent to the Mobile MSA are two others, the Pensacola, Florida MSA (Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties), and the Biloxi-Gulfport-Pascagoula, Mississippi MSA (Hancock, Harrison and Jackson Counties). These three MSAs are linked by Interstate 10. The center of the Biloxi MSA is approximately 78 miles from Mobile; the center of the Pensacola MSA is approximately 55 miles from Mobile. The Biloxi MSA has a population of 344,406; the Pensacola MSA has a population of 312,368. 513 physicians are located in the Biloxi MSA; 599 physicians are located in the Pensacola MSA.

Orthopedic services are provided by treating physicians in all three of these geographically adjacent MSAs. A large majority of the patients of the two groups wishing to merge come from the Mobile MSA; however, a significant number of patients of both groups come from adjoining MSAs. In addition, a large number of patients from central and northern Alabama, from central and northern Mississippi, and from western Florida are seen by doctors in the groups seeking to merge. By the same token, patients from the Mobile MSA seek orthopedic services in eastern Louisiana and in Georgia.

Requestors submit that the proposed merger will not substantially lessen competition in the relevant market, which they submit should be defined, at a minimum, to include the three MSAs to which reference previously has been made. Even within the Mobile MSA, the combination of these two practice groups will result in an entity that contains less than one-third of the orthopedic surgeons in that geographic area.

Should you wish us to provide more specific data regarding the geographic marketplace, we will readily do so. Thank you for your attention to this request.

Respectfully yours,

Craig L. Caesar

CLC/csk